Art Library Discussion Stresses Ire Over Dean's Decision To Close

This Diamondback Article Quotes Arhu Dean Bonnie Thornton Dill On The Art Library's Controversial Closure.

By Talia Richman, The Diamondback.

When Abby Eron Was Deciding Where To Go For Graduate School, She Had Two Offers On The Table. She Said The Main Reason She Chose This University Over The Other Was That The Art Department Here Had A Designated Branch Library.

But After A 1.5 Percent Budget Cut, Patricia Steele, This University’s Libraries Dean, Announced On June 18 That The Art Library Would Be Closed And Integrated Into Mckeldin Library Over The Next One To Two Years.

About 50 Students And Faculty Like Eron Met With Steele On Wednesday To Explain That Doing So Would Hurt The Department’s Reputation And Sense Of Community As Well As Inconvenience Those Who Use The Collections.

Steele Said She Held The Meeting To Get A Sense Of The Department’s Needs As She, Along With A Task Force Of Students And Faculty, Brainstorms New Models For The Art Library’s Future. She Said They Hope To Have A Feasible Plan In Place By January.

“it’s An Issue Of Scholarship With Emotions Around It. The Bottom Line Has To Be That We Find Ways To Make Sure That Scholarship Is Not Hampered And Does Not Diminish,” Bonnie Dill, Dean Of The Arts And Humanities College, Told The Group Before The Discussion Began. “whether The Library Can Do That In The Way They’ve Always Done Is The Issue That’s At Stake.”

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